Due to the continued advancements in military defense technology and the medical care field, visual identification and processing of data is critical to support the activities of the various personnel responsible for performing visually intensive analytical tasks. For example, in the case of military operations, improvements in the ability to efficiently identify and diagnose an injury in the field would reduce the mortality rate of injured military personnel. In addition, because the number of medically trained personnel is greatly constrained, there are limited resources that can be allocated to the screening, identification and treatment disease in the military or civilian fields. Thus, the ability to empower non-medical personnel to screen, identify and treat injuries occurring in both military and civilian fields by non-medical personnel through networked communication is highly desirable.
Furthermore, in addition to medical care, military personnel are required to fulfill a broad array of duties that requires specialized equipment. Due to the nature of such duties multiple pieces of equipment are typically required to be carried and managed by each individual. Because of the weight, and the complexity of the equipment, which can require several individual modules to be coupled together with a variety of communication cables, such equipment is significant in weight and adds to the burden placed on military personnel who are already under substantial physical stress in the field at times of combat.
Therefore, there is a need for a multi-purpose imaging and display system that provides a display, such as a wearable display, and a detector that is convertible between two or more operating modes, to reduce the total amount of equipment needed by military and medical personnel. Additionally, there is a need for a multi-purpose imaging and display system having convertible operating modes, whereby in a military combat-based mode, the multi-purpose imaging and display system is configured to perform predetermined functions, such as night-vision, remote sensing, and weapon aiming are enabled; and whereby in a medical care mode, the system is configured to perform predetermined functions, such as combat casualty care, image guided surgery for first responders, telemedicine and the like are enabled. In addition, there is a need for a multi-purpose imaging and display system that is capable of monitoring, sustaining and managing injured patients when medical assistance is unavailable, through the use of computer-based analysis or telemedical guidance. In addition, there is a need for a multi-purpose imaging and display system that is configured to enable network communication between multiple users to enable untrained individuals to provide medical care through remote collaboration with trained individuals.